Animagi and human thought (WAS: Transfiguration)

[N Fry]

No: HPFGUIDX 41744

Lara quoted QTtA (my emphasis on brain portion):
>" No spell yet devised enables wizards to fly unaided in human form.
>Those few animagi who transform into whinged creatures may enjoy
>flight, but they are a rarity. The witch or Wizard who finds him- or
>herself transfigured into a bat may take flight, *but having a bat's
>brain*, they are sure to forget where they want to go the mment they
>take flight."

This section caught my attention the first time I read that book. This 
doesn't make sense to me. Based on the animagi we have seen so far in the 
series, I have always had the impression that they've all retained their 
capacity for human thought processes. The above quote implies that they 
should lose that. A few contradicting examples (off the top of my head) 
would be:

- Peter lives with the Weasleys for years and is able to use them to keep 
track of info about Voldemort and former DEs. (PS/SS, CoS, PoA)

- Rita is able to eavesdrop on students, collect info from the Slytherins, 
and remember everything she hears until she returns to her regular form to 
write it all down. (GoF)

- When Sirius is in his dog form, everyone speaks to him as if he can 
understand everything they say and don't feel compelled to repeat 
complicated plans to him once he returns to human form. (PoA, GoF)

- Peter *definitely* is aware of what is happening around him in the 
Shrieking Shack and is desperate to get away before his true identity is 
revealed. (PoA)

- McGonagall reads a map, observes the Dursleys, and is able to form an 
informed opinion of what type of people they are while in her cat form. 
(PS/SS)

- While in dog form, Sirius is able to create plans to elude and hide from 
authorities. (PoA, GoF)

Besides, if people *completely* become the animals they transform in to, 
then how do they turn back in to their human forms? Sirius as a man knows 
how to use the complex animagus magic, but a large, loveable black dog would 
not have the mental capabilities to do the magic to turn back. And, if he 
had a dog's brain/consciousness/memory/etc, then would he even remember that 
he had once been human?

After living with an extreme animal person who had both cats and dogs and 
who believed the one dog in particular understood everything going on around 
it and thought like a person thankyouverymuch, I realize that there are some 
animals that are very intelligent. But the actions of the animagus animals 
shows a human intelligence and way of thinking beyond what even the smarts 
animals would be capable of.

Just some thoughts...


~ Nik (who is curious what she would turn into if she was an animagi and 
wonders if it is possible to have a magical beast as your animagus form)

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